Righto - the Alcatel 5010 really is a molecular drag pump, but I called it the way I did so folks who were unfamiliar with drag pumps would catch on that they are close cousins to turbos. The pump sounds like a mosquito in heat, but the noise is mostly drowned out by the chuffing and chugging from the diaphragm pump. I've been adjusting the zero of the capacitance manometer at the readout per the manufacturer's suggestions. I have a MKS627 0.1 torr gauge head paired with a PDR-C-1B readout, with an external +/- 15V supply to power the head.
The cold cathode tube I have is a Varian 524-2, one of the older types. From casual inspection, it doesn't look demountable, but the innards as far as I can see are well-baffled and look tolerably clean. The controller is a Varian 860, with a case that seems about a yard long... However, in this business, esthetic considerations are secondary. I'll be trying it out this weekend, but in view of your observations about fur, I'll try knocking a current limited supply across the gauge tube to check for shorts. I have a compendium ion gauge and supply I was thinking of using as a gauge, but the cold cathode tube seems more straightforward to use for the moment, and is in better condition.
Created on Friday, April 13, 2001 2:57 AM EDT by Richard L. Hester